Nancy E. Gist, Director

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Assistance

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

OFF ICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS

BJA NI J OJJDP BJS OVC

National Night Out provides information, educational

materials, and technical assistance for the development

of effective year-long community-police partnerships

that can reduce crime, violence, and substance abuse

at the community level. The program is administered

by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW),

a nationwide organization dedicated to the development, maintenance, and promotion of communitybased, law enforcement-affiliated crime prevention

activities.

Coordinated by local law enforcement and trained

volunteers, National Night Out events are designed to

engage neighborhoods in local crime and drug-abuse

prevention activities. National Night Out creates crime

prevention awareness in the community through a multitude of local events, such as block parties, cookouts,

parades, contests, youth events, and seminars. NATW

annually distributes more than 10,000 National Night

Out organizational kits that guide residents and law enforcement leaders through the planning and implementation of a community’s National Night Out activities.

In addition, National Night Out local and national media campaigns generate extensive print and broadcast

coverage.

National Night Out generates community support for

crime and drug-abuse prevention activities, as well as a

high level of community participation. The presence of

local law enforcement in the community under the positive circumstances of a National Night Out allows many

residents to meet their officers on a one-to-one basis—

in many cases for the first time. This opportunity helps

to establish a much needed relationship among neighborhood residents and local law enforcement personnel.

National Night Out demonstrates that partnerships and

coalitions can be built and nurtured at the community

level for the purpose of establishing cost-effective crime

control strategies. As a result of National Night Out

activities and events, neighborhoods also become involved in related programs, such as Neighborhood

Watch, Safe Haven, and Crime Prevention Through

Environmental Design.

Program Scope

When first launched by NATW in 1984, the National

Night Out program’s community-building and crime

watch activities involved 2.5 million people in 400

communities in 23 states. Since then, with continued

BJA funding, the campaign has vastly expanded. The

16th annual National Night Out, held in 1999, included

a record 32 million people representing 9,500 communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the 5

U.S. territories, numerous Canadian cities, and U.S.

military bases worldwide.

Project 365

Introduced in 1994, Project 365 is a targeting component of the National Night Out program that helps

communities identify specific problem areas and then

work to resolve these problems over the next 365 days.

The project begins on the annual National Night Out

celebration day (the first Tuesday in August) and ends

365 days later. Project 365’s first year was extremely

successful and it continues to generate an outstanding

response from hundreds of communities. Activity highlights include the cleanup of local parks, the removal

and prevention of graffiti, the establishment of domestic

violence and homeless prevention initiatives, and an

National Night Out: A Community-Police

Partnership Program
increase in the number of Neighborhood Watch groups

and in crime prevention programming in multifamily

housing areas.

Program Objectives

National Night Out’s objectives include:

❑ Refining the nationwide crime prevention

campaign.

❑ Identifying and documenting successful crime

prevention strategies.

❑ Expanding Project 365.

❑ Disseminating information about successful

community-based strategies.

❑ Providing technical assistance by telephone on

crime prevention program development.

National Night Out meets these objectives by providing

information to as many communities as possible. In

2000 alone, more than 10,000 communities will be

contacted for program participation.

Program Services

NATW offers a number of no-cost services to communities participating in National Night Out. It provides

community leaders with “how-to” materials, including

program guidelines, a list of questions and answers,

camera-ready artwork, tips, suggestions, sample press

releases, and a sample National Night Out proclamation. In addition, NATW’s trained staff provide technical assistance directly to the community by telephone.

Local law enforcement personnel provide onsite technical assistance for Neighborhood or Block Watches.

Finally, NATW assists in preparing postproject reports

detailing the National Night Out events and activities.

These reports are reviewed and evaluated by NATW for

use in national, state, and local presentations; future

National Night Out materials; and technical assistance.

For Further Information

For additional information about National Night Out,

contact:

National Association of Town Watch

1 Wynnewood Road, Suite 102

P.O. Box 303

Wynnewood, PA 19096

1–800–648–3688 or 610–649–7055

World Wide Web: www.natw.org

Bureau of Justice Assistance Clearinghouse

P.O. Box 6000

Rockville, MD 20849–6000

1–800–688–4252

World Wide Web: www.ncjrs.org

Clearinghouse staff are available Monday through

Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. eastern time. Ask to be

placed on the BJA mailing list.

U.S. Department of Justice Response Center

1–800–421–6770 or 202–307–1480

Response Center staff are available Monday through

Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. eastern time.

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Washington, DC 20531

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

PRESORTED STANDARD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

DOJ/BJA

PERMIT NO. G–91

National Night Out: A Community-Police

Partnership Program Fact Sheet

FS 000255

October 1999